The invention relates to a connecting port arrangement for use in an apparatus for producing a composite material component, in particular a composite material aircraft component. Further, the invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing a composite material component, in particular a composite material aircraft component.
In aircraft construction, efforts are increasingly being made to use as load-bearing components which are composed wholly or partly of fiber-reinforced composite materials, for example carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP). For example, DE 10 2007 062 111 A1 describes a transverse support structure which is composed of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic and serves to support the individual panels of an aircraft floor system for separating a passenger cabin from a cargo compartment arranged below the passenger cabin. Furthermore, it is known, for example from DE 10 2004 001 078 A1 or CN 1906084 A, to provide aircraft fuselage segments with a skin which is designed with a sandwich construction and made of fiber-reinforced composite materials.
For producing aircraft components from fiber-reinforced composite materials, a vacuum infusion process or a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (RTM) process may be used, wherein reinforcing fibers in the form of single fibers, fiber prewovens or fiber prepregs are arranged inside a mold and the mold thereafter is sealed by means of a vacuum foil. A thermoset plastic material, for example an epoxy resin material, is injected into the mold via infusion hoses which are connected to copper pipes breaking through the vacuum foil in a sealed manner. Within the mold, the thermoset plastic material finally is cured under an elevated pressure and/or an elevated temperature so that a composite material with a matrix made of cured thermoset plastic material and reinforcing fibers embedded in the matrix is obtained. In order to exhibit the thermoset plastic material received within the mold to the desired elevated pressure and/or elevated temperature, the mold may be disposed between heated press plates. Alternatively, an autoclave process may be used to manufacture fiber-reinforced composite material aircraft components under an elevated pressure and/or an elevated temperature.